Happy Birthday, Brother
by QueenOfBeasts
Summary: It's America's birthday, but no one can attend. So, being the wonderful brother he is, Canada gathers the troops to throw his brother the best birthday party ever!  A fluffy family oneshot!


**Hello thar, people! Happy 4th! Yeah... so... not much to say about this... well, except "I'm sorry it sucks". It does, it really does. I don't love, but I'm happy with it. I didn't mean for it to be too in-depth or serious anyway. Just a cute, fluffy, family fic for Al's birthday. Notes will be at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: I do not, under any circumstances, own Hetalia: Axis Powers.**

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><p>Three young men and a young woman rushed around the grassy yard, frantic to get the party preparations over and done with. Their brother would be home shortly, for their father and the Frenchie could only keep him away for so long. The eldest of the four, the easily forgotten Canada, had enlisted the help of his siblings to make their elder brother's 235th birthday one of his best. 235 years since America became an independent nation. Sure, every year there were BBQs, and fireworks, and Alfred's three favorite colors splashed on everything in sight, but this year would be better than ever! Because it would be just them this year. As it turned out, no one could make it to America's annual 4th of July party, which had disappointed the young superpower greatly. Not even his own boyfriend could make it; Matthew could have swore he saw a tear or two slide down his brother's face when he found out Ivan couldn't come. He had decided then and there that he would throw Alfred the best birthday party ever, regardless of the amount of people in attendance.<p>

Everything was looking good so far. He had Jack at the grill, Amita putting the finishing touches on the decorations, and Li was setting up the fireworks. At the moment, he was on the phone with Arthur.

"Alright, everything's almost done! I think you can bring him back now." He told the other man over the phone in his usual soft tone of voice. He heard a yelp from the other end, then laughter, and then someone (most likely Arthur) yelling.

"Dad, you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Just having some Frog issues, is all." He heard someone who sounded quite a lot like his papa shout in the background something that sounded like, 'I resent that!'. It probably was. Matthew mentally facepalmed before continuing the conversation.

"A-anyway, start heading back. We're pretty much ready. How's Al?"

"Overjoyed. Everywhere we go it's red, white, and blue. He couldn't be happier. He was asking where you all were, though." Matthew couldn't help but smile. July 4th had always been his brother's favorite day of the year. Even if they were just driving in circles, Alfred would have found a way to enjoy it on his special day.

"Then turn the car around and get back here! We have a party to start!"

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><p>As soon as Matthew heard Arthur's car pull up, he had everyone get into position. The four young nations heard footsteps from beyond the gate, and America's loud, obnoxious voice.<p>

"Alright! Let's get some burgers on the grill! I'm starving! And after that we'll -" He abruptly stopped his pointless rambling in favor of letting his jaw hang open at the sight before him.

"Surprise!" They all shouted as Li set off a round of fireworks. Alfred continued to gape as his siblings ran over to him. Amita gave her eldest brother a tight hug, wishing him a happy birthday before pulling away to show him her red, white, and blue sari. Jack gave him a hardy slap on the back, and pulled him into a one-armed embrace, the koala on his back climbing onto the other blond's head. Li walked up causally, asking the American if he liked the fireworks, to which Alfred responded by yanking the young Chinese into him and throwing an arm over his shoulders, telling him he loved them.

Matthew strode up to the little group, grinning from ear to ear. Hearing his siblings laughing and joking together was a rare occurrence, and he savored it every time the sound drifted by his ears.

"Happy birthday, Al." At this, Alfred looked up to see his younger twin brother infront of him.

"Matt," He began, a look of amazement on his face. "Did you plan all this?" Matthew simply nodded his head.

"I knew you were kinda upset when -"

"Heroes never get upset!"

"So I suppose you were crying because you think it's fun, then?" Alfred went silent at that. "Anyway, I knew you were kinda disappointed when no one could come today, so I set a party up just for us." The American looked around at his family.

"Just us, huh?" He then gave the group a blinding smile. "I think I can live with that!" He then turned his attention back to his Australian brother. "And are those hamburgers I smell?" He asked hopefully.

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><p><em>'Best. Birthday. Ever.'<em> Alfred thought contently. The initial party had ended some time ago, and now most everyone was asleep. Jack was sprawled out on the floor, his koala napping on his stomach. Li was slumped in his favorite armchair, smelling of gunpowder from setting off all those fireworks. Arthur and Francis had gone up to the guestroom, and judging by how much noise they made, hadn't actually gone to sleep right away. Amita was curled up in a ball on the couch, her face buried into her older America brother's side. He smiled down at the young Indian woman, stroking her black hair gently.

He lifted his gaze from his sister to his twin brother, dozing on the floor next to Jack.

"Hey Mattie," he called softly. "You awake?" Matthew opened his blue-violet eyes, sat up, and looked inquiringly at his brother.

"What's up, eh?" He asked.

"I just wanted to say… thanks."

"Al, you don't have to -"

"But I want to!" Alfred exclaimed quietly, not wanting to wake the others, but effectively cutting the Canadian off. "Even though I sometimes forget about you, you're always there for me. Only a brother like you would have been able to tell I was upset, 'cause I always make sure no one ever notices when I'm sad. But you, you knew I was hurting and tried to fix it, and it worked. For some reason, you always know what to do to make me feel good again. Not even Dad or Ivan can do that." He smiled softly. "Thanks, Bro. I owe you one, big time." Matthew returned the smile just as brightly.

"I guess it's a twin thing, eh? Like telepathy or something like that." He shrugged. "But as long as I can keep you being the 'hero' and not the pansy, I'm doing my job right." Alfred snorted at that.

"You can be really snarky when you want, ya know that?" The Canadian just smirked in response.

"I try." This caused them both to chuckle.

Sighing, Alfred took Texas off his face and set it down on the end table. Shifting his position so both he and Amita were comfortable on the couch, he rolled over and finally let sleep start to take him.

"Night, Matt…" He yawned sleepily. Matthew laid back down, a small smile still playing on his lips.

"Happy birthday, Brother."

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><p><strong>Now, no flames saying this sucked, because I already warned you about that!<strong>

**Note time!**

**If you hadn't realized, Jack, Li, and Amita are Australia, Hong Kong, and India, respectively. In my mind, since they were all England's colonies, they would all be 'siblings' so to speak. I chose the names Jack and Li for Aussie and Hong because they are popular fan names for them, and I didn't feel like coming up with my own. As for Amita, I thought of the name for her myself, (yes, Amita is an OC, deal with it). Her name is Hindu and means "infinite" or, "immeasurable".**

**I hope you enjoyed this tooth-rottingly fluffy 4th of July fic! Reviews are greatly appreciated and awarded with cookies!**

**- QueenOfBeasts**


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